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I have just finished Clair de Lune with a successful performance at my midterm exam. However I am struggling with what to play next.

This autumn I have only been working with Clair de Lune and some short Grieg pieces since I have been down with pneumonia. Earlier I have been playing Bach preludium and fuga II, and some Chopin waltzes.

I would like something with a bit power in contrast to clair de lune, that would be a challenge, but I can still overcome. Any suggestions?

Are you wanting a bigger work or something smaller, more prelude like?

For preludes, maybe look at the Chopin preludes. Gorgeous, short, and many of them don't pose massive technical challenges [some are quite difficult though, so beware!]

For something bigger, I played Mozart k. 283 around the same time I learned Clair De Lune. It's got some good, light & quick scale work that did wonders for my touch.I also played Haydn HOB 23 in F major not to long after. Another good one to look at for sure. I like it better than the Mozart.I learned Chopin waltz 34. no2 at the same time as clair de lune. that one is fun. I particularly like Horowitz playing it.

For something with a bit of power, like you mentioned, perhaps doing a Chopin Nocturne? Opus 55 no 1 in fm is mostly straightforward technically, the last page has a bit of flourish that took me a bit of work to get clean, but it fits your hands nicely once you get the fingering down.

Living in Norway (Oslo?) , we might imagine that the influence of Grieg is pretty potent ... where his Piano Concerto in A is a knockout if you are looking for “something with a bit power”.

At this icy time of year in the Northern climes, your mention of pneumonia isn’t something to fool around with ... so get better before you tax you health at the piano.

But on a positive note ... Debussy might seem gentle (as with Clair de Lune) ... so you might want to tackle something less whimsical ... and the Beethoven Sonatas shout a welcome ... the famous Pathetique Opus 13 is on everybody’s list especially as the first two movements are meaty and don’t break the fingers ... the bold 3rd movement is racy, dynamic and breathtaking.

But my suggestion would be for a masterfully contrived smaller work in 13 parts ... namely Robert Schumann’s Kinderscenen (Scenes of Childhood) opus 15, of whichTraumerei (no. 7) is a single page wonder work.